Daily Show: Friends Without Benefits. GOP Sen. Stearns Says FU To 1st Responders...

Off all the Bone-Headed, Idiotic & Infinitely-Offensive Congressional Amendments shoved into a bill before they'd begrudgingly approve it...

As if Congress's taking 9 yrs. just to pass a Healthcare Bill that would assist our 9/11 First Responders in paying for their medical expenses - paying for treatment of the cancers and the respiratory diseases they've developed after sifting through the World Trade Center Tower rubble (for weeks on end) - tirelessly searching through the still-smouldering devastation, dust and blood for remains so that those still missing could, finally, be identified and their families could, eventually, have some sort of closure... As if that wasn't enough ...

Nope, apparently not...

In an "Insult To Injury" Amendment added by Senator Cliff Stearns (R.FL)...

America's 9/11 First Responders (the ones who haven't already Died from injuries sustained doing those heroic duties) who submit a claim so that they can pay for their medical treatment, must first undergo a background check/be checked against the Terrorist Watch List before receiving money for their chemotherapy.

Ugh!... sometimes I Really Dislike human beings.

(From last night's The Daily Show.)

* I'd encourage you to watch the segment - in its entirety - as broadcast in the whole episode (It's the first segment in the episode).  For some reason, Comedy Central chopped it into two pieces and "the whole is more than the sum of its parts" - as some wise person once said.

First clip (3:36)

Second clip (5:20)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (April 26, 2011)

Enjoy!

Peace.
L.

Burn, Baby, Burn: 9/11 1st Responders Healthcare Bill Finally Passes (Post GOP-Gutting)

The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act - the Bill extending medical benefits to the heroic men and women who toiled for days/months/up to a year and did so tirelessly (after being told, incredibly, by the EPA that the air at Ground Zero was safe to breath without the use of traditional breathing apparatus/oxygen tanks) - all the while inhaling toxic fumes, smoke, soot and ash after the collapse of the two burning skyscrapers - has been floating around the Halls of Congress for a year, now.

Why?

Now, that's an exceptional question.

For - despite claims made by GOP Senators to the contrary - Yes! The Zadroga Bill had been heard and passed through a Congressional Committee (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee) and Yes! It was paid for (by closing a corporate tax loophole).

So, what's the hold-up?

According to Senator Jon Kyl (R) of  (yep, you guessed it) AZ : To make Senate Republicans keep working this close to December 25th or to make them come back to work between Dec. 25th and Jan. 1st (*After all of the Obstructing or Just Plain Nothing they've done over the past 18 months) would be offensive to Christians. (Yes, Virginia, he said that.)

Really?
So, what you're saying Mr. Kyl, is that, basically, for anyone to expect you to fulfill your sworn duty as a Member of Congress (allegedly "for the people") is "offensive to Christians"?

You know what, Senator Jon Kyl? That isn't what's offensive...

It is you, who are offensive.
(And, not just to Christians).

And, not only that, let me clarify something else:  Both you and your fellow perpetually-filibustering Senators are nothing more than political cowards, incompetents and putzes.

Whew!  I feel better now!

And, Heeeeere's Some Really Good News:
The Senate just passed The Zadroga Bill into Law! (Hurray!)

And, Heeeeere's Some Rather Bad News (Sorry, I'm only the Messenger):
In order to be able to get the Bill successfully passed, Senate Democrats were forced by Senate Republicans to "... shave it from $7 billion in benefits to $4.3 billion in benefits".

I don't think the Senate Republicans realize what a deeply-disgusting and utterly-revealing victory this is for the GOP:

The Grand Ol' Parasites Party has held Every Piece Of Legislation in Congress hostage, that is, until they got their demand of extending the $700 Billion Bush tax cuts for the top 2% of billionaires for two more years.

They got their pieces of gold for their gold-plated patrons...

But... When it came to asking them to simply approve a bill that would provide (paid-for) health benefits for 9/11 First Responders who are not only suffering, but dying, from ground-zero related cancers and lung and brain diseases...

The "let them eat ash" GOP Senators said "NO!".

And, after using blatant extortion to get their expensive tax cuts extended, Senate Republicans then demanded that the amount of (paid for) benefits/coverage for those 9/11 First Responders be cut nearly in half.

* IMHO ~ It would be such a Beautifully Karmic Moment Of Justice if - should any of those GOP Senators' homes happen to catch fire in the coming 2 years - the Firefighters would decide to send the proposal of heading out to risk their very lives to fight those particular GOP home conflagrations through a Committee Hearing, first .

And, after that, they would hold a vote on the proposed response to fighting that fire and requiring - not a simple majority - but, a Super-Majority of their number to vote in favor of doing so. Noting that, without said Super-Majority, they'd have to let it burn.


Burn, Baby, Burn.

Hey...Listen, I'll bring the marshmallows! We'll make s'mores!

Peace,
L.

Here's a link to a TRMS clip on Senate Republican stall tactics...
The War On Work After Christmas

And, here's a link to one of the first articles announcing the passing of the Republican-reduced Zadroga Bill:
The 9/11 bill passes -- but should it really have been this hard?
by Ezra Klein of The Washington Post.